Weaseled Away
by Tsukiko hoshino
Summary: It has been said throughout the ages that a weasel around the house is a sign of bad luck- evil even. Especially if within that household there is a girl of marriageable age. AU
1. Upon Creation

Disclaimer: No…Again, if Itachi is dead I don't own it.

A/N: I'm not sure what's going on with me lately, but if this keeps up I'm definitely going to fail my English class this semester. Also, not sure what's with my sudden fascination with Itasaku (Or making them all animal like…) but I'm just gonna roll with it- because really, what more can I do?

I have a feeling this story is going to be epic, and hopefully you all enjoy it!

Term clarifications are at the very end, to clear up any confusion you might have. If your still a little lost, don't be shy to ask!

**Again, suggested reading format is 3/4-1/2...the paragraphs look so much better that way. **

Unbetad, so probably full of silly mistakes.

* * *

**Weaseled Away**  
By **Tsukiko Hoshino  
**

* * *

_While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation._  
(**Maya Angelou**)

* * *

He remembers, a time long ago when he was young- very young and hardly a year weaned, where he had curled up against his mother's side, soaking up her warmth. It was a time where the ravages of winter took place outside their warm home, the cold air somehow finding a way to seep inside. Almost all the men were gone on campaign, and with his father away he'd been allowed more leeway in his studies than usual.

Even at that tender age, he'd been pushed to fight. To be faster and smarter than anyone else, to be ruthless, even though it was not in his heart to do so.

It was his mother then who had been his escape from all that. The nights where she allowed him to cuddle close, and mended the wounds of a long day practicing death with her songs and stories. His mother's slender, elegant fingers weaving tenderly through his growing hair.

He would have been easily lulled to sleep if he had not been such an inquisitive thing, always eager to learn more.

So she'd told him the story of the world's creation when the universe was still considered a newborn in the eyes of the old gods; they created the planet called earth, imbued it with mountains and valleys, forests and deserts that were given veins made from rivers that lead out to the seas. Still their new world was empty and thus they gave it a multitude of flora and fauna.

Despite the beautiful flowers, towering trees, golden sands and lush seas they had brought into being they remained unsatisfied.

Then they made crafty foxes, noble wolves, elegant- colorful birds, ruthless sharks and among all others they made the weasel- agile and quick, both in mind and body so that despite its size it could take a creature three times its magnitude and twice as dangerous to its death.

The way she spoke made him feel every bit as powerful, as gallant as she painted the wiry weasel to be, for they had been his name sake, his ancestors.

But still, the gods were not happy, not satisfied. They wanted more, and so they created creatures meshed between their own images and that of the animals they created.

They were smarter than their animal counter parts, stronger as well. The old gods failed to realize how dangerous this could be for them, and taught them even more. Showed them how to do magic, how to shape shift and create new things. So successful became those new creatures of theirs that they nearly became their downfall.

They nearly matched the gods in power and in longevity; the only saving grace was that there were so few of them at the time. And so they were deemed as another failure, and a third creation took place.

Humans.

This time, the gods had learned to be careful in what they gave. They made the humans to look just like them, no animal like strengths to aide them.

Their bodies lacked the strength and agility of their brethren and instinct too had been dulled in them…They could not sense the coming storms, nor earthquakes, or floods that shook the earth in its volatile early days. Their greatest asset was their ingenuity and brilliance. However short they lived, they burned all the brighter for it.

It was his kind who called themselves _Mononoke_ who had come to their aid upon their birth. It was not the gods who made them that taught them to survive. It was _them_.

They taught the humans to fish, hunt, farm and fight. The two species had been as brothers once, the older teaching the younger to survive in their new world. For a time, they lived in peace intermingling with one another and sharing their strengths.

The end of it all was said to be a woman of great beauty. A _human _women.

If the story were told by a Mononoke they would say she fell in love with one of their own and ran away from an unhappy match to be with him. This was the story she told to him then. Years later he would learn that if the story were told by humans it was said that she was stolen from her groom by a blood thirsty beast.

Either way, the days of perfect peace were ended for good afterwards. Even as she spoke, his father had been off at war, quelling disputes that had cropped up in their territory.

"What happened to the woman?" He had asked, staring up into his mother's warm, darkly colored eyes.

"That all depends on _who _you ask." She'd murmured, stroking his downy hair. "Some say the mononoke won, and took her for a bride. Humans will tell you otherwise. Many say she died." She paused then, finger outlining the furred ear jutting from the left top of his head. He was getting better and better at hiding them.

The mark of a true genius.

His eyes were slipping shut then, ready to relinquish himself to sleep. "Why?"

"For all the lives lost due to her." His mother explained patiently. "So much destruction for one woman…I suppose she thought to herself "_How can I live when so many have died_?" She could not go on with the guilt. They say she hung herself." From a cherry tree in full bloom to be exact, but she would not tell him that. Already she thought that it was not a story for one as young as he, but her son was different than others of his age. Beyond brilliant, and he would not rest until he heard all he wanted to hear and lying would do no good.

It would be best to tell him the happier version. Where the human and the Mononoke triumphed and were happily joined together. Where they had many children and that they were buried together long long ago by the many children they left behind.

Even at that tender age he knew she spoke of suicide. "Why would he let her go?" His father would never allow his mother to do such a thing. He'd die before he let her leave him in anyway. The frown that twisted his lips brought a wry smile to his mothers.

"He did not know. He would not allow it if he had." She conceded, not knowing the truth of this but supposing nonetheless. It was after all not the nature of their kind to let go of something they loved. They were fiercely protective and loyal of those they considered theirs.

"Neither would I." He would never be as foolish as that man. If he had loved her so much, he should have known her heart better. "What happened to him?" he asked next, sleep staved off for the moment.

"Unable to live without her, he died too." His mother said with a sigh. Her little Itachi truly was an unrelenting kit. She hopped the next one would not be quite so troublesome. "But, they say the old gods felt pity and someday they would be reunited-in death or in life no one knows. Now enough of this, hmm? You are tired." She laughed at the yawn he tried to hide. "There are many more stories to hear tomorrow." Ones with happier endings and more pleasing by far. "Sleep." She ordered cuddling him close.

The ensuing "Hnn." She received sounded as though it was uttered from his father's own throat.

* * *

The first time he saw _her_, was when he'd been young- ten, and she even younger. He'd long since learned to control his form, surprising many of his family members. Only when he wished it to be so, would his ears be furred and his tail unveiled, the deadly claws hidden away under the guise of blunt human nails.

He could look as normal as any human and it was a great asset if the need ever rose to use it.

What surprised them most was that he had unlocked the eyes they called the Sharingan. The eyes that were said to have been plucked from a god's head during battle eons ago. Afterwards the technique was passed through the mononoke and to his children and so forth. They became the clan known as Uchiha. What was unprecedented however, for an 8 year old to have completely mastered the techniques it offered the user.

They had hailed him a genius, a prodigy because never before had one so young displayed such abilities. He was a pinnacle of perfection, deserving the title of the future clan head and his father's pride.

Often to Itachi's own consternation.

Although he would only ever tell one person, he'd be far happier drinking _matcha _and eating _dango _while reading the newest novels and poetry of the day then he would learning the arts of war.

Still- he _was _a dutiful son and did what was expected of him.

That night was the first time he'd ever hunted on his own, usually he would be accompanied by his older cousin, but he went alone this time after managing to give Shisui the slip. The air was cold- frigid really. His breaths coming out in frosted white clouds as he ran through the cover of the forest.

The moon was bone white and full to the brim, untethered by clouds and luminescent against the dark, nearly pitch black sky. Unburdened by anyone, he felt real freedom for the first time.

The large boar he'd chased down didn't stand a chance, and the animal that he was in part sang through his veins urging him to play much like a cat would with a mouse. So he did, until he grew too hungry and with one quick slash of his clawed hand to its throat put an end to it.

His kind were torn between two worlds, both that of the humans and the animals. One moment they hungered for cooked seasoned meals and the next for raw blooded meat.

They spoke in the tongue of animals and words of men. They built castles, and wore clothing; silk and cotton rather than animal hides. The men carried swords, though they had no need for it when they had claws and fangs. They were two worlds, meshed into one. Like the flipside of a paper fan, one part of him hated killing and the other part saw it as a cruel necessity.

With his own hands, he disemboweled it, peeling back the thick hide to reach the tender meat inside. Crouching there splattered in blood, with the red of his eyes bleeding through, gleaming even in the darkness he surely looked like a demon.

He'd barely finished, when she came barreling in. Although he was hardly surprised, because he'd heard her before he ever saw her. Could hear the beating of her heart, going so quickly he was surprised the tiny thing didn't break. The smell of her panic hit him next. It smelled like fruit left to rot, something that had once been so sweet morphed into something sour.

She was even smaller than his little brother, with her pale pink hair and fear filled eyes. She took no notice of him, as her wild eyes darted around diving beneath the overgrown roots of a great towering cedar tree so large it would take three men to encircle it.

The loud clicking of her teeth hitting together as they chattered was quickly silenced as she covered her face with her hands, silent as she could be. Yards away, he could smell the metallic tang of human blood and the saltiness of her tears.

With his brow furrowed he could not understand what one as young as her was doing out at night in the cold weather. If he was right, she was only five like his brother Sasuke-if not younger. Surely even human parents had protective instincts. His mother would never allow his little brother out at so late at night without supervision- possibly not even then. She'd grown much more protective over the years.

Although, perhaps that over protectiveness was in part due to Sasuke being so foolish. He had a knack for trouble.

Yet there the girl sat beneath the snarled roots of a tree alone and so very small. If he approached as he was, she would most likely become scared and scamper off even further. As of yet she had not noticed him, far too concerned with peering back the way she came every now and then.

That's when he heard the next one, screaming out in fury as he came stampeding into the small clearing. It was all Itachi could do to keep from reeling back from the stench that oozed from the man. He smelled like a walking corpse drenched in alcohol, and every fiber of his being was laced with malice. The sword in his hand dripping with blood, hers or someone else's he cannot tell because there is so much of it mixed together it's a jumbled mess to discern.

The hiding spot was not a bad one, but her eye-catching hair gives her away almost immediately and the man is closing in on her from the left.

On his own feet immediately, his hackles are raised as his eyes flash dangerously. No matter what tensions run between his kind and humans, there has always been an unspoken rule among his household. Children are not meant to be harmed; it's a decree that his mother is most likely to blame for because Itachi is sure his father wouldn't waste such sentiments on them unless pressured by her.

More so than that, he thinks of Sasuke in the same position and his heart clenches and his blood rushes with fury.

He's already placed on his human guise as he moved closer, purposely stepping on a twig to announce his presence.

Whipping her head around furiously searching for an obstacle to pit between herself and her pursuer her eyes land on him and somehow she decides he's just the thing and scrambles from her place beneath the tree to hide behind his legs.

For a human she was very quick on her feet, but his musings on her speed are ended when he feels her tears soaking through the leg of his tucked in Hakama. Itachi failed at biting back the inhuman growl rising in his throat as he tossed a sharp glare in the direction of the man closing in on the fiasco.

Without looking away, he easily picks her up and settled her slight form against his hip.

"Cute." The drunk sneered, eyeing the pair as though they were something distasteful. "That's alright then, I'll take you down together. The little brat fucking bit me. Can you believe it?" as if to prove it, he held up his arm, showing off the red and raw perforated circle imprinted into his flesh. It was torn and bleeding, but nowhere near the damage _his _teeth could and would do when provoked.

"Hmph." Itachi replied with a scoff, the poor foul had no idea who he was talking to. Even distracted as he was, he could take him easily, and he was rather distracted as he felt the tears against his neck, and the blood from her cut sticking to his neck and sliding down his kimono collar. The tiny fright filled mewls she was making put his nerves on end and made him want to sooth her tears away.

Rocking his body slightly, and letting a low rumbling noise loose to vibrate through his body, like he did with Sasuke when the boy had a particular bad nightmare he focused on the man in front of him. He'd give him one chance and only one. "Leave." Even with the girl pressed to him he'd have no trouble taking the man down, even if he would be the first human he'd ever kill.

It's only his tender heart that keeps him from leaping for his throat that very second. He's quickly come to the realization that he hates men who pick on those weaker than them and take delight in it.

The fool had the nerve the nerve to laugh and step forward, sword extended to cut. Only he never got the chance because the next moment the thin human veneer that Itachi had been holding up scattered like shards of glass.

Sleek black eyes rippled away to red as his fingers became pointedly sharper, nails lengthening and hardening. His ears which had been perfectly rounded and the soft peach color of human flesh began to morph, moving higher up his head as they grew furred and more pointed.

Even as his fangs were bared, his eyes betrayed not a single thought.

The growl he issued at the loosely termed _threat _foolishly went unheeded as the man took another step forward. It proved to be his last for mere seconds after that his head went rolling. Licking the blood off his hand, he grimaced at the taste and decided to leave it. It was as foul tasting as his smell.

With her face burrowed against his neck as it was, she could not see the torrents of blood rushing forth from the man's neck, nor the lolling of the eyes even after the head had been separated from the body.  
'It would be best for her not to see that.' He decided, moving away as he back tracked her scent through the forest. Where ever the trail ended, he was sure to find her family.

In the meantime, he tried not to think about how it was all together disturbing how easy killing the man had been. Not physically, but mentally.

Feeling his little ward shiver as a cough wracked through her body, Itachi frowned to himself, bundling her even closer to his chest as he bent his darkly colored head against hers. "It's alright." He murmured tucking back a strand of blood soaked pink hair.

Leaning her away just slightly to survey the damage, he was once more displeased as discontentment rifled through him.

It made him wish he hadn't killed the man so fast when he saw the ugly assortment of bruises staining her face. There was a small gash on her forehead that wept and a busted lip that she'd received along with numerous other contusions that peppered her thin arms and legs.

Her wide green eyes flicked over his face quickly, before slowly meeting his own shyly. "Y-you won't hurt me?" She asked at last. The first words she'd spoken at all were uttered quietly, a shiver running through her form.

Frowning, he shook his head. "No." although he wasn't planning on it he really thought it was silly of her to ask the question and expect anyone to say yes- but then his little brother was just as foolish. Perhaps it came with age?

Hiding her face behind the long sleeve of her thin cotton Kimono she gave a hoarse cough, wincing as she did so.

His displeasure grew, as he pressed her frail form back into his own, wondering if it was normal for human children to be so light and boney. Tipping her head back, he studied her eyes, discovering that they were very close to the green color of matcha, which he quite liked. Humming quietly, he laved the wound on her forehead with his tongue in much the same way his mother did for him in his youth, and that she now did for Sasuke to sooth the pain away and keep the cut clean. The taste of her was pleasant unlike the other human.

Itachi was pleased that the sickly smell she'd been giving off due to her fear was nearly gone. As a matter of fact, she seemed content to sink into him, small fingers tightly grasping into the folds of his haori as her weary head leant against the spot where his heart thrummed away.

It's not long before she's asleep in the cradle of his arms, her weight barely noticeable but significant all the same. Picking up speed, his feet eat up the ground, even at his young age he's fast and what would take a human hours to walk he runs in mere moments.

The scent of fire that had been plaguing him grows stronger yet, and he quickly discovers that the safe harbor he'd hoped to deliver her to, does not exist. Instead, great plumes of ash and smoke are aloft within the air as a tiny little village is wiped off the face of the earth in the span of one night.

Taking a whiff of her hair- which despite her grimy appearance was not all that bad, he scents the air wondering if perhaps someone in her family has survived. Through his keen sense of smell he tracks down anything that smells similar to her. It's difficult to discern from the smoke, but Itachi manages it only to be disappointed once again.

A man and a woman lay at the edge of the village, brutally cut down. The long deep slices bisecting their bodies foretell that they had slow agonizing deaths, and the blood he smells coming from them is the same as that he'd smelled on the man's blade.

It's the first time he ever feels genuinely happy to have taken a life.

Now however, he has a new problem to contend with. 'What to do with you.' He thought, his lips twitching into a frown brought on by conflict. He'd like to take her home with him, where he can watch her and make sure she'll be alright like he does with Sasuke. Doing that however will only put her in danger, and his father would never stand for it.

As strong as he is now, he's not strong enough to keep her with him safely.

On the other hand, he remembers that long ago that his mother told him that saving a life made it your responsibility, and he had saved her after all. That made her _his_and he couldn't just abandon her.

The bottom line was that he had to find a place that was safe for her, but easily accessible for him. 'And to hurry before Shisui finds me.' Itachi thought. He really didn't want his nosy older cousin to get involved; he'd get over excited and make a mess of things. A slow winding smirk crossing his lips as a plan quickly formed.

High in the mountains, not far from where they were standing- and closer to his home then they were now, there was a sorceress who had once been human until ages before his birth she'd mastered the magic of a god like snail. From that day forward, her aging had all but stopped.

She came from a long line of exceptional humans, one of which had been the nemesis of his own ancestor Madara. For a long time since then, the Senju and Uchiha had been at odds. But Itachi, as smart as he was did not see the point in keeping up the age old grudge. They had never done anything to him or anyone under his protection so he himself had no conflict with them.

Besides, Senju Tsunade was a brilliant woman, who could cure any illness and mend any wound. She was as strong as any Mononoke and had the battles under her belt to prove it. She was a more than worthy ally to obtain and so he had.

Of her pinnacle, there were only two others. A man of the name Jiraiya who traversed the land writing novels and poetry, and another named Orochimaru who had taken the path of the snake-quite fittingly at that because he was about as low as the serpent itself.

Feeling his lip curl in disgust, Itachi shook his head. Orochimaru had long since plagued him, eager to take his eyes and see if he too could obtain the powers of a god. The last time they had met, he'd warned the man that if he ever approached again it would be the end of him.

Time would only tell if his warning would be heeded.

Once long ago, the three of them had been a close knit group- legendary in truth. Hailed as heroes by Mononokeand human alike until some dispute drove them apart.

Tsunade would take the girl in; she didn't have the heart not too. Not only that but the powers she'd received had come at cost all their own. She was barren and did not have the chance of becoming a mother herself. 'Until now.' Itachi mused, glancing down at the thick pink mane of hair. He could already see the amber eyed woman taking the girl in as her own.

It was a perfect match.

There would be no person safer to place her with- baring himself. So with that, he raised his head to the moon resolutely, and took off like an arrow, flying straight and true as snow began to fall.

* * *

"Shizune! Get the damn door!"

It couldn't even be one in the morning and some asshole was knocking at her door. Griping her flaxen head between her hands, Tsunade cursed whoever it was to the realm of hell. She had a hangover the size of Katsuya. Pushing a surge of Chakra through her hands, she soothed the ache away, and contemplated having a sip of sake. It would take the bite out of her hangover. Rolling over, she pressed a soft silken cushion over top her head as her eyes slid shut.

The knocking had thankfully stopped and she could go back to bed.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune's shrill, panic tinted voice called out tearing the sannin from her desired respite. Biting back a growl, she tossed the plump robin's egg blue pillow to the side as she got to her feet. "This better be something important Shizune, or I swear…." She trailed off, slamming the shoji screen open.

There in her living room stood the infuriating future head of the Uchiha clan in all his glory, sopping wet and carrying an equally soaked pink haired little girl who was shaking quite badly. "The hell?!" She screeched making her way forward. "Shizune, go prepare a Futon!"

She didn't even have to touch the girl to know she was dangerously close to hypothermia. The blue tint to her lips was more than enough.

"Yes!" Shizune cried whirling away as she hurriedly went to fulfill her orders.

"Mind explaining this, or am I supposed to think you kidnapped a little human girl for the fun of it?" Tsunade asked, pressing her warm fingers to the girls frigid face. A frown settled on her lips as she studied the dark haired boy.

"Hnn…" He hesitated briefly, worry soaking into his black eyes as he looked at the small girl still encased in his grip. Itachi had tried his best to keep her warm, but she still felt so cold. It worried him more then he'd like to admit.

Itachi had always been a strange boy, and strangely behaved in her opinion. After all, how else could she explain his desire to make friends with someone his Clan held in low regard? He was always so very grown up for someone so young, but looking at his almost unguarded face she couldn't help but smile.

"It's ready now." Shizune called softly from down a corridor, an oil lamp lighting the way. Her dark gaze pinned to the young little thing Itachi had brought with him. "Will she be okay?"

Scoffing, Tsunade made her way to the prepared room. "With me here, how couldn't she?" She asked, returning to her own room for a moment. When she came back a small cream colored Yukata was folded in the palm of her hand.

Long ago it had belonged to her little brother Nawaki….but the little girl in front of her needed it so much more. "Well, are you going to explain yourself or not? I don't think your father will like hearing his son is a kidnapper." She bade, untying the girls sash to change her clothing.

The cloth of her Kimono was harshly wove, denoting someone of the peasant class.

Glancing away politely, Itachi crossed his arms. "I found her." He stated, staring at his hand thoughtfully. "She was running away from the man, and was in danger. So I saved her. Her family was killed so I brought her here to you." That was all she really needed to know as far as he was concerned.

"Uhuh." Tsunade mused, frowning as she took in the girl's bruises and cuts. "Malnutrition." She murmured to herself, skimming a finger along the girls ribs. "feverish too." She said, placing a hand on the girl's forehead.

"I thought she felt too light. Her parents should have fed her better." Itachi hissed, a tiny ghost like scowl settling on his face. It was imprudent to ever show too much emotion, but he was certainly displeased and it showed.

"Poor people generally don't have the best dietary choices." Tsunade huffed, rolling her eyes at the pampered boy. "They probably did the best they could."

The unconvinced sniff he gave brought her great amusement. "A little protective over her, aren't we brat?" She wondered, arching a brow.

"hnn." It was the usual answer the men of his family gave when they found the idea of giving a straight answer to be displeasing.

"What will you do with her when she's better? I doubt your father will want some human wandering the halls off his home." Tsunade said, pressing a glowing green hand against the girls forehead.

"She will stay here. With you…for a while." Itachi stated, calm as the tranquil surface of a lake and as sure footed as a cat.

"Oh, she will, will she?" Tsunade growled, annoyance shinning in her eyes. 'So presumptuous.' She'd like the smack the boy upside the head. Her ire was ever rising, and Shizune was beginning to panic.

It was the touch of frail fingers against her wrist that had Tsunade's eyes back on her little patient. Bleary, fever dazed green eyes stared up at her, barely open. "Mama?" the question was spoken in such a tiny, fragile little voice. At that moment Tsunade felt her heart waver and melt.

Biting her lip, she could do nothing but shake her head. " Afraid not darling…can you tell me your name?" she asked, smiling serenely, as she pushed back damp pink strands of hair off the child's forehead. 'So cute….' With her pink hair and green eyes, she looked like spring made flesh.

It was lucky that she could not see Itachi's proud gaze, and the slow tilting of his lips. There was truly nothing more exhilarating then being right. 'Perfect.' He thought, nodding his head to himself in agreement.

"S-sakura." The little thing said eyes half closed. She felt so very tired, and terribly cold.

Both women in the room could help but laugh, and Itachi felt a smile tug at his lips. 'How fitting.' He thought, gazing at her in appraisal. Sakura was a perfect name for a girl of her coloring.

Easily, Tsunade stripped the sopping wet Kimono away and replaced it with the dry one as Shizune pulled back the thick cloud like duvet. "You are a very strong girl, I'm going to take good care of you, okay?" The blonde woman murmured, patting the girl on the head affectionately. "For now you just sleep." She bid.

Just like that, his little ward was out like the flame of a candle.

Glancing his way with a look of complete exasperation, she pursed her lips and conceded defeat. "You win this round Uchiha." Tsunade said with a sigh, knowing she'd been played. He'd planned the whole thing down to a T before she even walked in the room- hell before he even got here no doubt.

"Aa." Itachi replied, doing his best not to look terribly smug. It wasn't everyday one such as he could defeat a legendary hero without even coming to blows. Settling himself on his knees near his charges head, he studied her face in the light of the lantern burning brightly from its perch.

With a small, heart shaped face, and tiny button-esque nose tinted a pink that closely matched her hair, even he could admit she was what one would call cute. Right now her flushed cheeks were slightly gaunt but he knew soon she'd be thriving with baby fat like his little brother and the dark circles under her eyes would disappear. He'd see to it himself.

Watching the flickering and fluttering of her eyes beneath her dark closed lashes, he wondered what she dreamed about. He hoped it was something peaceful. Like fishing, or reading…or dango, he'd have to bring her some soon.

Studying the boy in front of her, a smirk worked its way to her lips. Perhaps she'd been played, but Tsunade had a feeling the one who had been ensnared had not just been herself.

'Oh yes.' She laughed quietly to herself, sly eyes finding Shizune's bewildered ones.

Things were sure to become more interesting soon.

* * *

For the time period, I'm thinking something Fuedal times-ish, like Inuyasha. But it's really its own little world in general, with the fashion and tone overall being taken from that time. ( I would totes listen to Inuyasha's lullaby reading this. Great song.)

To explain, Yes, Itachi's family are basically Weasel Demons, and he ages at the rate of a human until he hits a certain age and stops. This, much like in real animals ensures a higher rate of survival. They grow quickly, and then the aging process slows over time.

Now, for a quick run down of terms I've used...

**Mononoke**- beast, demon, spirit. All these words rolled into one are what Itachi's kind call themselves. Humans who are particularly uncouth would call them Youkai.

**Yukata**- a very informal thin Kimono.

**Matcha**- fine powdered green tea that is prepared with a whisk, it's a very bright green and is the subject of tea ceremonies. Itachi likes to drink it with Dango.

**Haori**- The outer jacket he wears over his Kimono.

**Hakama**- The pants he wears over his Kimono, they usually have long billow legs, but his are tucked in via wrappings to make them fit tighter around his calves and ankles.

I can't wait to get my new tablet pen...I'm so excited to get back into drawing D: I really wanted to draw Itachi for this...he sounded so cool in my head...really I just found Young Itachi to be a joy to write and I hope everyone else liked him as much as I did...

So, if you'd like to see a new installment of Weaseled Away near you soon, REVIEW and lemme know what ya liked and what ya didn't.


	2. Yesterday's Elegy

Disclaimer: Did you hear an announcement about Naruto changing hands? No? Then damn-it, I guess my offer of pocket lint to Kishimoto was rejected. What a shame.

**Suggested reading format remains the same as always. **

A/N: Forgive whatever grammar mistakes you see...I'll come back and clean things up later. Or I'll find some poor sap to do it for me if i'm lucky. Also, Special thanks to Baws for being Awesome and stuff.

* * *

**_Weaseled Away_**  
By: **Tsukiko Hoshino  
_**

_The snow in the air_  
_to sing me a lullaby_  
_my winter, come hither to me_  
_The dark nights to come_  
_so, kiss me for good-bye_  
_The grace of the godland is near to you  
_  
_-_Lullaby _(**Kaida Yuriko**)_

* * *

She dreamed of fire, devouring everything in its path, and of screams that could not be silenced; of faces twisted in permanent agony, and red, so much red staining everything she ever knew. She dreamed of men with swords sweeping through the idyllic place like the wave of a Tsunami, leaving fire and blood in its wake.

The streets of the village she live in, the fields her parents had toiled in and the forest she played in were all enveloped in shades of red.

Curling tighter into herself, Sakura bit back a painful moan. She didn't want to remember but she did anyways.

* * *

_Winter was always the worst time of year. They hardly ever had any food, and there was nothing to do half the time since nothing grew, and it was always so cold. Not to mention the days were so much shorter- a fact which she greatly lamented._

_Her family was meant for spring. They didn't do well when winter rolled around, and even at the young age she was, she knew they often forewent food for themselves, just to feed her._

_For all that they lacked however, they had an abundance of love. Her father was his horribly cheesy jokes and gentle countenance and her stern, over protective mother. They did not have as much as some families, but they made up for it in the attention that they gave her._

_Still as much as she hated the winter months there was one plus as far as she was concerned. Sakura absolutely hated the dark, and the frigidly cold nights ensured she got to sleep sandwiched in-between her two parents instead of being alone on her own threadbare futon._

_So, she easily fell asleep that night to the feeling of her mother's fingers brushing through her hair and the quite rumbling that came from her father's snoring._

_She couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours when she was roughly shaken awake by her pale faced mother. "mama…'m tired." Sakura whined, attempting to roll over as she rebuked the woman's efforts. The firm grip her mother had on her shoulders prevented her however._

_"You have to get up now Sakura." Mebuki hissed, hauling the five year old into a sitting position. "You need to be really, really quite too, understand?" They were lucky to live at the end of the village, slightly put off from everyone else but close enough to hear a big commotion like the one going on outside at the moment._

_All night, the blond haired woman had felt a nagging at the back of her mind, a suspicion that something was coming underway. Something had just felt wrong…She'd finally been half asleep when she heard it, the first series screaming, and she knew without doubt that something was terribly wrong that night._

_Kizashi too had quickly jolted to consciousness, and took one look at his wife before he was up and preparing. The world that they lived in was a dangerous one; lords were constantly fighting one another for some reason or another._

_Whether it was a mononoke against mononoke, a human against another humans or even the rare case of a mononoke fighting against a Human villages like their own were often under siege._

_They were far from the eyes of whatever lord ruled over them, and the seclusion they had equated to less protection. Not that they had much to begin with considering the man who ruled their province was a human. If tonight was any indication however, he wouldn't be in control much longer._

_The touch of Sakura's small hand on her face broke her out of thought. "Alright, let's go okay?" Mebuki asked, forcing a smile to her lips. Her husband was waiting outside for her, and without waiting, she swept the small, brightly colored girl into her arms. 'You're so light.' Guilt striking her not for the first time, exiting the small shack without a single glance backward._

_They had to leave here before it was too late._

_The look in her husband's eyes wasn't one she could ignore. "Don't even think about it." She hissed, tugging on his long sleeve. She knew him- she knew that he wanted to do what he could to help, but if he ran into the village it was likely he would die._

_"Mebuki…" Kizashi paused with a sigh. "We can cut through the forest; it's unlikely they'll follow through to Uchiha territory." He explained, glancing towards the village once more. "I got a look of the banners. They were of snakes." He explained, repressing a shudder._

_Orochimaru was not a man anyone would want to be their lord. There were terrible stories about that man and the things he did to mononoke and humans alike._

_Clenching her daughter even tighter, Mebuki swallowed heavily. "R-right."_

_"Whets going on?" Sakura asked, glancing up fro, her mother's neck. She always took a while to be coherent after waking. Even from their secluded home she could see the fire enveloping the village.  
_  
_"It's nothing." Kizashi stated with a strained smile. His large, work roughened hand was gentle as it patted the top of her hand. "We're just going on a little trip."_

_Frowning, Sakura said nothing for a moment. 'No body sets out this late at night…' poor she may have been, but ignorant she was not. "But...the fire?" She questioned, looking at the pale smoke rising into the night sky._

_The conspiratorial looks her parents shared were not lost to her, but before she could ask anymore their attention was stolen away._

_"Going somewhere? Your new lord's feelings are going to be very hurt if you go running before he gets a chance to meet you." The words were slurred, but held an aura of danger to them._

_Three sets of eyes quickly whipped to the speaker, as he entered their eyesight._

_Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck raise Mebuki quickly set Sakura down, and shifted so that the child was hidden behind her and Kizashi's forms. The implication was clear, to get to Sakura whoever and whatever would have to go through her parents first, and the way he was eyeing them in amusement sent shudders down Sakura's back._

_"Mama?" Sakura whispered her hands __fisting__ to the fabric of her mother's Kimono. The silent look her mother sent her quickly quieted her down._

_Without words, before warnings could be issued or anything else could be done there was a glint of metal and a strangled gasp as a torrent of red spilled forth from her mother's midsection. A small shriek exploded from her own lips as the blood ran down and tainted her own hands._

_"Mebuki!" Kizashi fruitlessly attempted to bolster his wife's falling form._

_'He moved so fast…' Sakura thought, looking at the red that stained her own hands._

_"G-get Sakura out of here. No matter what. " her mother's voice was full of pleading as her hands grasped at her husbands clothes, in her mind she sent prayers to every god she knew, the old ones and the new as well. It didn't matter to her if she died at all, as long as her little girl lived._

_"How precious." The man whose sword was stained with blood laughed, taking a swig of the gourd attached to his hip before tossing it to the side. The baked clay container smashed against the porch of the small home in front of him. "Parents are the second most amusing of all. Sometimes they beg and plead for the lives of their children, sometimes they offer them up like sacrificial lambs…and sometimes they try to fight!"_

_He was so very close, only a foot away as he towered over her._

_Sakura's stomach churned as his fingers coiled into the hairs on the top of her head. "Guess your parents are the latter, hmm?" He laughed, grip tightening._

_The furious look her father was giving him was so funny. All smiles stopped however when a burning pain shot up his wrist. "You little shit!" he screamed, shaking his arm furiously." Swear to the gods I'll kill you!" and he would enjoy it too._

_Like a dog, she clung on, digging her teeth in further. All she knew was that he was dangerous, that he'd hurt her mother and for that she wouldn't let go. The searing pain in the side of her head, as it hit the edge of the porch told her she'd failed._

_Without thought Kizashi had left his wife's side and was on the man in seconds, fists fueled by the need to protect his family. It didn't matter whether he stood a chance or not._

_"Sakura!" Mebuki called weakly, hands pressed to her gaping wound. "Listen to me." She murmured, patting the side of her daughter's cheek, wincing when it was left bloodied, her blood mingling with that of her daughters as it slid down the side of her face sluggishly. "Go into the woods okay? No matter what don't look back…We'll join you in a bit, okay?" she smiled as convincingly as she could._

_"But…" Sakura frowned, already shaking her head, the dull ache growing ever so slightly. "I don't want-" She was cut off by the glare her mother sent her._

_Always the disciplinarian in her little family, her mother could be very scary. "Do as I say, and go now!" The blond ordered, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. She hoped her head wouldn't cause her too much trouble. "Be safe, and know we love you…" She whispered, feeling her throat ache with emotion. "Go now, and don't look back." Resolutely, she gave the girl a push with what strength she had left._

_And so she did. Her aching head kept her from resting, and some strange feeling kept her moving. It was telling her it wasn't safe to sit still. Her movements were slow however, as she waited for a sign of her parents. Even the frigid temperature seemed far away to her as she waited._

_She heard him later, stumbling through the bramble and trees as he cursed, screaming that he would kill her and she ran faster then she'd ever felt she had before._

_How long had she run? A few minutes, a few hours? Would the sun every come up again? Where were her parents and what was taking them so long? There were so many questions darting through her head as she moved._

_At some point she grew so tired, and so cold she was hardly think coherently anymore, moving like a half wild animal. Finally, it came to the point where her lungs and legs ached so badly that she had to take a rest. She found a low spot, beneath the great mess of roots belonging to a towering tree and hunkered down, eyes watchful for the man who was hunting her._

_That's when she saw him. Even with the blood splattered to his face, and the expressionless set of his eyes she'd known he was a better bet for survival then the man coming closer to her every second she wasted._

_So __she abandoned the tree and hid behind him instead, feverishly clinging to what small sliver of hope she had left._

* * *

Whatever happened afterwards Sakura could hardly recall, even in her dreams.

Right now though her head hurt, and she really, really hoped that when she opened her eyes everything would have been nothing but a bad dream. She felt so heavy- hardly awake even, the weight of her eyelashes nearly more than she could bear. Even so, the newness of the place she was resting in sent panic rushing through her.

"It's alright." A voice murmured, fingers ghosting over her brow. "You're safe here." A boy with hair as black as the wings of the crows that often lofted the fields her parents worked spoke. Her parents called them pests, but Sakura rather liked them.

Something about his seemed familiar, and it had her brows knitting in thought. "You..." Her throat felt scratchy and speaking hurt.

"You should try not to talk." It amazed Itachi how quickly she had grown ill. In the three hours he'd sat by her bedside she'd been stricken by a terrible fever, and had thrashed violently more often than he liked. Even now, her fever had not receded. It worried Tsunade enough that even as he sat there, she was concocting some odious brew that no doubt tasted twice as worse as its smell.

She chose not to heed his advice, and pressed herself further. "Y-you're that boy." A shudder wracked her small frame, as she forced herself to sit up. Her fear was mounting and he could hear her heart speeding up. "That guy!" she cried, eyes growing wide as they darted around the room.

"Is long gone." Itachi stated firmly, pressing against her shoulders gently. After settling her back against the futon he ran a hand over her hair, checking her forehead specifically. The cut and the bruising that had marred It from before was gone thanks to Tsunade, but her sickly pallor was much more worrying to him.

As far as he was concerned, her illness was his fault. He should have known better then to carry her through the snow like that.

The fact was he wasn't exactly well versed in the frailty of normal humans.

"But my parents…?" Sakura began, looking around the room. "She said they'd come find me…" So where were they? They were supposed to be here with her. She was quickly working herself into a panic.

Itachi couldn't help but hesitate, even if it was considered a weakness. He had no experience with having to deliver bad news such as the one waiting at the tip of his tongue. For the first time in his life, he could honestly say that he was…for lack of a better word- lost on what to do.

He was thankful when he heard Tsunade just outside the door, even if it would only delay the terrible message for a few moments. Her tawny eyes were somber, as she took in the scene before her. 'Poor thing.' She thought, pressing her lips into a thin, grim line.

Loss was something she was no stranger too, but even she had been older the first time she'd experienced it. Tsunade had been a teenager when her parents died and a young adult when her brother and fiancé passed on. 'It seems like such a short while ago.' She mused- knowing that it had in fact been a very, very long time ago.

The fact that Itachi actually looked relieved was something she would normally have found great amusement in. It seemed as though every day that passed he grew to be more and more somber, hiding away the pieces of himself that were tenderhearted. She remembered fondly- although she would never say, the times when he came visiting with a smile on his face.

Those days seemed to be getting further and further away, as his open face was replaced by the facade he painstakingly crafted as the days went by, his visits and smiles more infrequent as he grew taller

Tsunade supposed that it was curiosity that first brought him to her mountain, and then perhaps fondness on his part that kept him coming back. He'd always been a rather inquisitive thing. He liked puzzles, thrived when he was working to figure something out. Back then, she'd been more than aloof with him something he was not used to.

Being the heir to a high ranking, powerful clan meant that not many people denied him what he wanted, or showed him blatant hostility…unless they wanted to suffer.

But still he came unbothered, intruding into her home so politely- so inquiring in his nature. Asked her some of the most ridiculous questions about her person like if she really ate slugs or not and if that was how she'd been able to live so long. She could see them then, the synapses in his mind firing away through his brightly gleaming eyes. He'd been so smart for his young age and time was only sharpening that terrifying quality.

'Now's not the time to reminisce.' She chided herself, rolling her eyes when she noticed the object of her thoughts holding out his hand expectantly. The cup cradled in-between her hands was cooled enough to be drunken now. Wordlessly, she placed it in the palm of his hands giving Sakura a small smile. "Drink all of it okay? It tastes bad, but it'll help a lot."

Although Tsunade could heal some of the most grievous injuries known to mononoke and men alike, cold's and flu's could not be repaired so easily. The most she could do was bolster the body's natural processes so that it could fight the illness on its own. Glancing to the young man kneeling on the floor so calmly, she couldn't help but worry slightly.

The girl's parents were gone, and she had to be told and who exactly was going to take up the task?

She could already see the question poised on Sakura's lips, ready to tumble out at any moment. The question was could Itachi handle things on his own? Not that she wanted to be the deliverer of such ill-fated news, but it might be better suited as coming from her rather than him. She had experience with it, more so than Itachi. Before she could even open her mouth however, he was already shaking his head.

There was a look of determined resignation to his face and so with a brief hint of hesitation, Tsunade decided to leave him to it. If needed she would not be far. Pressing a lingering hand to the pink haired girls head she departed feeling the urge to have another drink. 'Whys life got to be so difficult?' She sighed warily and hoped for the best, lingering close enough so that she could hear what happened- just in case.

Confusion swamped Sakura as the blonde haired woman came and went, sliding the door shut behind her.

The awkward silence that followed made her nervous, and something told Sakura that her parents would not be coming back for her. "They're okay right?" they had to be. Her mother said they would be right behind her.

Knowing who she meant Itachi's shoulders slumped nearly imperceptibly, eyes studying the murky liquid entrapped in the white porcelain cup he held. His own face reflected back at him dimly, as morose as he would every allow himself to appear.

"No…I'm very sorry." The words tasted virulent on his tongue and when he saw the tears filling her eyes, his stomach turned- the experience a novelty he would not miss. The quiet tears she shed soon became loud sobs.

The hysteria that had been slowly welling up inside her flooded out, and Sakura shook her head frantically. "Y-you're wrong, you have to b-be!" Sakura shrieked, hands bunching against her eyes. "You have to be..." She repeated to herself, the small part of her knew otherwise was struck down with childlike tenacity even as the memory of her mother's blood spilling out filled up her closed eyelids.

She knew that if something bled long enough, it would die.

Burning tears trickled down her face, one after the unbidden other and it wasn't long before she could not control the flow of them. They fell in torrents, like the waters during monsoon season.

"I wish that were so." Itachi murmured, guilt striking his face. Logic told him that it wasn't his fault, that there was nothing he had done to cause the situation, that there was nothing he _could _have done for them by the time he found them. 'If I had only paid more attention…' If he had been listening harder or had a stronger sense of smell, perhaps he would have known sooner.

He could not avoid those thoughts, try as he might- and he _did _try. For someone who was hailed as being the best his clan had produced in a very long while-if not ever, he could not help but feel very, very low at that moment. Perhaps he did need more training after all?

She knew that death meant the absence of movement, of consciousness. Knew that it meant she'd never fall asleep between the two of them again, or hear her father's silly jokes, or feel her mother's hands in hers. All that was over now, and there was only her. She could only weep, the hoarse sobs tearing through her body so badly she could hardly even breathe.

His hand pressed at the back of her head, guiding it to his chest as he rubbed her back in broad circles. Itachi could feel the burning of her skin even through the folds of his clothing, and he had to bite back the displeased growling that threatened to escape. The fever was eating her up and sapping what little strength she had left. Seeing her so weak- so broken apart he felt his very heart tremble.

He learned very quickly to despise her tears just as much as he hated Sasuke's often disappointed face. 'No, even more than that.' He decided quickly, tucking his chin into the crook of her neck. The younger Uchiha's discontent was not nearly as biting as the feeling he felt now.

His little brother's greatest pains were of being pushed aside in favor of his older brother by his father- they were of the sting of inattention, of being stuck in someone else's shadow. Though Sasuke, in his opinion was the lucky one; he was free to do nearly whatever he pleased while he himself shouldered the burdens of the clan. Which was how Itachi preferred it to begin with, if all he could do for Sasuke was protect him from the ambitions of their family, then he would do so gladly even if his own wants were ignored.

Sakura's tears however, weren't of broken promises or childhood frustrations and skinned knees, but of deep and ineffable loss and there was nothing he could do but hold her. There was nothing he could promise her that was in his power to give, that would take her hurts away.

Itachi couldn't say that everything would be alright, because to her it wasn't. No matter what issues he had with his father if he were to die, Itachi would feel sorrow over it and if it were his mother the pain would surely be doubled.

It wasn't long until the fever and the stress caught up with her, and the deep heart wrenching cries she made were stemmed by small hiccups that shook her small frame every now and then. Withdrawing just slightly he tipped her head and took in her sleepy, red rimmed eyes. Her weary head  
lolled between his hands, the weight pressing into his palms.

Too exhausted to really think anymore she simply rested there, peering at him with damp eyes. He was so close; she could see that his eyes were unnaturally black, the pupils near impossible to find; the thin flecks of silver that speckled his irises the only color to be seen within them. They reminded her of the night sky when clouds blotted almost everything out.

Even so, she couldn't help but think of them as warm. 'And very pretty.' Her thoughts were fuzzy at best.

A smile threatened to intrude his lips even though it hardly seemed appropriate, he couldn't seem to help it as he watched her sleep laden eyes struggle against their own weight. "It's alright." He soothed, rubbing his cheek against her forehead.

His skin felt pleasantly cold against her own and a pleased hum escaped her as she leaned further into his touch, eyes sliding shut. "who're you?" she murmured sleepily.

He answered with a brief. "Uchiha Itachi." The lack of acknowledgement surprised him slightly. She didn't even bat an eyelash at the mention of his family name. They were renowned everywhere, among humans and mononoke alike yet she didn't seem to notice.

Picking up the forgotten cup he pressed it to her lips. "Drink it all." He reminded, tipping the contents into her mouth quickly. As expected, soon as the liquid hit her tongue her face scrunched up, muscles tensing as she tried to pull away but his grip remained firm and he held her there until she'd drunk it all.

Biting back the urge to gag, Sakura couldn't repress the shudder that ran through her from the taste. It was like…nothing she could even begin to describe. In her whole life she'd never tasted anything so terrible, and she had eaten a lot of gross things.

Once it was all gone he set the cup down, and eased her back onto the futon, pulling the covers over her. "It's alright to close your eyes now." He could see how hard she was fighting it, and wondered if she was scared.

Sakura dug her fingers into the dark cloth of her companion's Haori, biting her lip nervously. If she went to sleep, she'd see everything all over again. She didn't want to remember the blood, or the flash of steel. "Don't leave…" She whispered quietly. "…please." Even then her eyes were closing traitorously.

He'd been the one to make the bad man go away; surely the dreams could be chased away by him as well. Those were her desperate thoughts as she clung to him, eyes fluttering open and shut erratically as she fought the need to shut them.

Silently he lowered himself onto his side, curling a hand around her head and tangling it into her brightly colored hair. "I'll stay," Itachi promised, resting his cheek against the crown of her head. "For as long as can."

"Promise?" her voice was so very quiet, he had to strain to hear it.

"Aa." Itachi nodded, eyes softening.

It was all the urging Sakura needed as she admitted defeat, her nose pressed to the side of his neck as her eyes slipped shut.

A restless sigh escaped his lips, as he solemnly began making plans. 'Shisui is no doubt on his way here now…' Which was good, it allowed him to remain where he was until then, like he'd promised.. The real issue lay with when his father found out that he'd taken the life of something more than an animal.

It would mark his exit out of childhood completely; the training and pressure would be doubled. It wouldn't be long until he was sent away from home to battle and conquer more land. He'd been rather fortunate he had not been sent out earlier, owing that to his mother's insistence.

Mikoto had been adamant that her son stay home until at least the age of twelve. It'd been a rather tense point of contention between his parents, but she won in the end. The request or rather demand that had been heeded with exasperation would no longer be obeyed given what he'd done this night. It was likely that he would be sent from home sometime within the next year on some raid or skirmish.

The greatest issue of his clan was that they were never satisfied with what they had. He knew they aspired to unite all that they could under their control.

In his opinion what they had was more than enough. They failed to realize that too much land under their control could be just as detrimental to not enough. Having too much to control, but not enough manpower to do so was the down fall of many dynasties.

Very soon, he'd be furthering that ambition sooner then he'd anticipated.

Yet looking at the pale pink strands clinging stubbornly to his fingers, he could not bring himself to feel regret over his course of action. Itachi pondered over what it was about her that had inspired such an urge to protect inside of him. He may not have enjoyed the thought- or even act of killing things besides what he ate, but he didn't consider himself to be overly empathetic.

Something about her had called him, was still calling. 'But what?' He asked himself, brows creasing as he searched for an answer.

Lying there like that as comfortable as he was it wasn't long until he was drifting in and out of consciousness only to be startled by the feeling of a face pressed precariously close to his own. "Shisui, remember that conversation about personal space?" Itachi drawled, not bothering to open his eyes. He wasn't going to let his cousin know he'd snuck up on him.

For the life of him, Itachi could not understand Shisui's desire to intentionally rile him up. It usually resulted in the annoyance he felt being taken out on the older boy during particularly brutal training regimens.

Remembering that Sakura was slumbering next to him, Itachi pressed Shisui's face away to give himself room to sit up, hiding the smirk that came when he saw the other boys disbelieving expression as he rubbed his snubbed nose.

Unfortunately for him, Sakura had become rather vine like in her sleep and was clinging tenaciously to him, making the task of climbing out of the futon rather difficult.

Now smirking himself, Shisui couldn't resist the baiting. "Having some trouble baby cousin?" he teased, rocking back on his heels.

Itachi also didn't get why the older boy kept referring to him as a baby when clearly he wasn't, and in addition was no longer Shisui's _baby_cousin- Sasuke was. He probably did it to be annoying, something Shisui found great joy in doing for some reason or another. Deciding not to give him an answer, he carefully set about freeing himself.

"Someone's got some explaining to do." Shisui continued unperturbed as he looked pointedly at the small girl he'd seen Itachi cuddling with.

Like, literally. He'd been purring and everything like some giant domesticated cat. It was a little weird. 'Well. Maybe more than a little...' Shisui corrected, face creasing thoughtfully. The last time he'd seen Itachi so fluffy with someone, it had been when Sasuke got particularly sick a few years ago following his dip into a freezing cold pond.

The after effects of which had been a moodier than usual Sasuke who was more vocal and clingy than ever before. If Itachi even left his sight for a few moments it had resulted in a screaming fit that lasted until he came back. Itachi had to spend a whole week helping his mother tend to the boy, although he probably enjoyed every second of doting on his little brother.

Those sorts of moments were rarer as Fugaku stressed the importance emotional restraint on his oldest son, so whenever Itachi got the chance he'd go a little overboard with the spoiling. But much to the future heir's his misery ever since Sasuke hit the age of five he'd decided that he was too big to be hugged and fawned over and would rather be taught Katas, or jutsu's or anything incredibly dangerous that Itachi really didn't want to teach him.

'Personally, he's spoiled enough as it is.' Shisui huffed, remembering the swift kick the little demon had given him to the shin before they'd set out in the morning. It still ached. He really hoped that Itachi would realize that being too lenient on his little brother wasn't going to do him any favors in the future.

Anyways, the whole situation was just going to be added to the pile of blackmail material he was building up against his baby cousin, and after he'd been left in a net he was not going to go easy on him. It took him forever to get out and by the time he had, the younger boy was long gone having left rather confusing trails all over the place.

Shisui had to turn back and redouble his steps more than once but what really worried him was when he'd come across Itachi's little surprise in the form of a headless corpse. For a minute he'd actually had to ponder the feasibility that his baby cousin had contracted rabies and was rampaging all over the place.

The concern had only doubled when he came across the razed village several miles away from the clearing and saw something even more disturbing in the form of a scrap of clothe with an eight headed snake on it. He'd really panicked then, thinking Orochimaru had gotten ahold of his baby cousin, but after a few moments he realized Itachi had been unhindered and was heading back in the direction he'd come from.

To be honest, the fact that Orochimaru was so close to their territory worried him deeply, and he knew Itachi would no doubt be furious about it.

Not to mention the clan. They were going to go ballistic and start rallying to march out.

No one was really sure what the snake man wanted, but he'd been creeping around Uchiha territory for quite some time, sometimes rather slyly, and sometimes not so sneakily.

Which meant he wanted to be noticed no doubt.

The fact that he'd done so much damage to a village so close to their border showed his audacity, especially after the stern warning he'd received the last time the Uchiha and he had crossed paths.

'Three years ago or so, if I'm right...' Shisui mused remembering a prior hunting expedition that had resulted in a run in with the pale skinned man. It had ended in being impaled by the sword Orochimaru kept hidden inside his body.

Itachi had been left to hold his own against the legendary snake master until help arrived. Against all odds, he'd managed to do that and more, and by the time back up had come to the scene Orochimaru was sporting quite a few wounds himself and choose to retreat rather than fight against a whole mob of furious weasels screaming out for blood.

What Shisui could remember most vividly of that day was Itachi himself.

While the younger boy hated fighting for no good reason, he had a strong urge to protect that rivaled his peaceful countenance. When Shisui felt the cold steel parting the flesh of his stomach, he had been frozen in horror, not by the murderous feeling pouring of his cousin.

Even Orochimaru's sickly aura had been washed away by it.

It would be wrong to say that Itachi had gone completely berserk because he had still maintained his level headed thinking but there was a fury in his small body that Shisui could never have imagined if he hadn't of seen it himself.

'I guess that's the trouble with being a mononoke…' Because of their double sided nature, they were prone to lapsing into more animalistic tendencies if the situation was stressful enough.

He loved his cousin like a brother, but damn, he could be scary.

For all the control that he had over himself, on the few rare occasions that it slipped, it was a sight best not seen for those it was directed at. 'Must be the Mikoto in him…' everyone knew that while Fugaku was intimidating, Mikoto was just plain scary when riled. She didn't need to use physical violence to make one suffer. 'Speaking of suffering…' Shisui snapped out of his thoughts as he remembered something particularly depressing. "we got to get back before sunrise."

Otherwise Mikoto would have his hide.

"Yes." Itachi agreed, finally disengaging himself without stirring the young girl. "I'll explain on the way out." He stated tilting his head towards the door. Taking the hint, but feeling altogether to curious for his own good, Shisui slunk towards the door reluctantly, sparing unconcealed glances towards his companion.

Rolling his eyes in the most discreet way possible, Itachi turned his back, and curved a hand over Sakura's cheek. Her fever was finally coming down much to his relief. He would rest that much easier knowing he was leaving her in a better condition than earlier. 'I'll be back as soon as possible.' He reminded himself, memorizing the features of the small child before him.

He'd have to bring her something to eat next time, she was entirely to skinny. 'And clothes…' Itachi thought, doubting that Tsunade kept much more in the girls size than what she'd already been given.

Shaking his head he finally tore himself away, pushing Shisui through the door the rest of the way before following and sliding it shut behind him. Turning around his nose nearly brushed against Tsunade's bosom much to his inward mortification.

"You did well." She complimented with the nod of her head.

It hadn't seemed that way to him, but there was no use arguing with her when neither of them would concede defeat. "I suppose." That seemed like a sufficient answer. Not to vague, not to revealing.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Any messages I should hand over?" she worried that when Sakura woke up alone, she might become distressed.

"I'll be back soon." Itachi said simply, nodding his head. He didn't have to remind her to take care of Sakura. He knew she would. "That's all." He finished resolutely not liking the coy smile that crossed her lips.

"Okay then. See yourselves out, and Shisui?" her voice was all honeyed.

The oldest Uchiha in attendance tilted his head to the side innocently. "Yes?"

"Stop eyeing Tonton like she's your second dinner. Or I _swear I'll_ skin _you_."

Itachi couldn't keep himself from feeling proud of his decision to bring Sakura here when he heard the threatening tone of use Tsunade used to curb what she deemed as a threat to something she cared for...even if it was a pig in this case. 'No accounting for taste.' he thought, heading for the exit without further ado.

Fighting back the urge to shudder, Shisui quickly glanced away from the shivering pig being held in Shizune's arms. 'Forget Mikoto being scary, Tsunade's terrifying…' It wasn't his fault he was born with a carnivorous appetite and Tonton looked so plump and tasty. "R-right…" He closely followed after Itachi. "Have a nice night!" he called, even if it was already morning and the horizon was quickly lighting up, the falling snow gleaming like diamonds as they flurried down.

It was thankful they were better adapt to the cold then some of their kind, the rough winds hardly phasing them at all as they trotted through the pristine landscape, faint foot prints left in their wake one moment, only to be swallowed up the next.

* * *

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support! it really went a long way towards helping me write this chapter.  
Hm...very dramatic chapter.

A very sad, Very difficult to write chapter.

Drawings are up on Live journal, there is a link to it on my profile page...I would post it to Deviantart, but it's being uber slow for me...it took two hours just to get everything up onto LJ, after they canceled uploading like 16 different times.

I hope this chapter has remained up to standards, and the next one should be a lot more fun for everyone involved! Don't worry guys there is going to be lots of cute fluffy childhood antics, Naruto and Sasuke ARE going to show up in Sakura's Life and therefore Itachi's as well very soon along with a myriad of other troublesome, familiar people.

Again, thank you everyone for your reviews and favorite's! It's my goal to get a story to the 1,000 review mark so it can rest on the front page of fame. It's a rather silly goal, but its mine none the less.

That and Fanart. With either (Or both if i'm feeling greedy and you guys are being generous..) I could Die happily and not come back to haunt anyone.

Sooo...There should be a box right down below here...lemme know what ya think, huh?

Could inspire me to do mooooree~


	3. Embrace Tomorrow

**Weaseled Away**  
By **Tsuki Hoshino**

_Though sympathy alone can't alter facts, it can help to make them more bearable. **  
-**_Bram Stroker

* * *

The summary of events he received from Itachi did absolutely nothing to ease Shisui's mind from the coming storm he'd seen brewing on the horizon, instead the projected event was vastly becoming a monsoon. Between Orochimaru playing around close to their borders and whatever fallout would come down on Itachi once Fugaku found out about his son slaying a human, things weren't looking too bright in his eyes.

On the other hand there was the glint of a silver lining he had grasped onto.

"You know, I'm really proud of you." Shisui laughed while tugging the wiry boy into a headlock so that he could ruffle Itachi's hair unhindered. His three years on Itachi made sure he had at least height over the more talented boy.

It really warmed his heart knowing that no matter how hard the clan tried to instill ruthlessness in Itachi towards those outside their fold he remained resilient and it struck him with a sense of personal pride that he may have had a hand in that.

The need the vast majority of their family impressed on them to be withdrawn, and quite generally go around acting like they had one giant collective chip on their shoulder to the outside world, was in his opinion annoying and he complained about it enough for Itachi to have heard and understood the problems their clan had.

Then again, Shisui was pretty much the opposite of everything an Uchiha was supposed to be. He wasn't aloof, or quiet, or even all that serious…most of the time. The only thing he really had going for them in the eyes of the others was talent, and the fact that for some reason Itachi seemed to like him.

He loved his family, but they could be… overbearing to put it lightly. He understood all too well the need to fight and defend what was theirs but lately it seemed like they were doing more than that. It wasn't just about protection anymore, it was about taking. They were steadily becoming greedier as the years passed.

The most of them acted like everyone and everything was out to get them, and while Itachi could be paranoid himself he hardly ever acted against someone without thinking on the consequences.

With fluid movements, Itachi distanced himself from Shisui's teasing hands, hair somehow as sleek and untouched as it always was even after it'd been roughed up. Fixing the taller boy with a look of exasperation, he uttered the same words he did every time the older boy took it upon himself to do something embarrassing- which was quite often. "Shisui, refrain from doing that in the future."

The grin that stretched across Shisui's told him that like all the times before his demand would not be heeded.

This was exactly why Itachi had left him upside down in a net.

"Listen, if we clean up your little…mess before it gets noticed, everything will be fine. What they don't know won't hurt 'em." Shisui mused, sly eyes lazily tracing the decent of a rather large snow flake. He was starting to feel cold. Tea would be nice about now.

He'd already given that scenario a thought. "That would be lying." To his father no less. He wasn't sure what to think about the suggestion.

"No, it's not." Shisui snorted, stopping where he stood. "At most it would be withholding information." He pointed out, crossing his arms. "It would be lying if he held up the guy's head and asked if you did it, and you said no. It's not lying if he doesn't know about it to begin with."

The vaguely scandalized expression Itachi was making hadn't changed. Shisui thought carefully, wrinkling his nose. "Whose it going to hurt in the end? You- that's who. So what if you lie just a little bit."

The narrowing of Itachi's eyes told him that his argument wasn't convincing enough. Sighing heavily, Shisui draped an arm over Itachi's shoulder languidly. "Just imagine it, hm?" he suggested, eyes sliding shut. "Your dad finds out, and of course is super proud- then decides to ship you off to the far borders in the north, you could be gone for years."

"And?" Itachi asked, arching a brow. He had already thought of all this.

"And guess how that affects everyone else, idiot." Shisui huffed, knocking his head against the shorter boy's in reprimand. Sure, Itachi was a genius, but there were times that even _he_failed to realize how his actions would affect others.

It just went to prove that even prodigies weren't infallible.

With a sigh he began ticking off the names by use of his free hand. "Your mom will be pissed at your dad for sending you away, Sasuke'll become depressed and full of angst, he's like only five. That can't be good for a kid his age! Besides he's a handful enough as it is…imagine him with an ever worse attitude problem then he's got now! At least have a care about the rest of the poor saps who have to deal with him." Shisui purposely ignored the sour look Itachi sent him for the last bit before proceeding with his enlightenment.

"You'll be more of a killjoy then usual too, and the gods know I'll get sent off with you, I don't want to deal with a mopey weasel. Besides, you think this place is cold right now? The north is like this all year round if not worse!" He groused, stomping his foot. "I mean we're already gonna get sent off in a few years…why rush it? All you'll be doing is delaying it just a_ tiny_bit. Nothing too heinous there right? Plus, how're you going to find time to visit Sakura if you're going to busy with all the training?"

If this wasn't a convincing argument, he didn't know what was. "and Finally, I think you're gonna want to stick close to home for a while longer." Shisui remarked, pulling the cloth out to dangle it in front of Itachi's face.

The face Itachi made when he was presented with it was near priceless. From the narrowing of his eyes, to the distasteful curl of his lips, he made the epitome expression of disgust.

Maybe it was due to the fact that he hadn't noticed something so important himself, or perhaps the fact that it announced the presence of someone he could honestly say he hated with a passion, but never the less Shisui would get a kick out of his face for ages to come.

"Careful, your mask just broke." Shisui stated, lips stretching into a grin as he poked the shorter boy in between the brows teasingly. His banter gained no reaction as Itachi's brow knit severely, the stress marking his face plain as day. The faint marks that cut from the corner of his eyes to the near curve of his cheeks were growing more noticeable by weeks that passed and the tense set of his face was not going to help them any.

Hissing, Itachi took the fabric warily as if touching it were some great taboo. He'd had every intention of returning to the village later on to do his own investigation on the events, but this told him everything he needed to know.

Things were getting more complicated then he'd planned for.

"The issue is getting there before they do." Itachi snapped teeth looking much sharper then they had moments before. He was feeling rather foolish. He should have disposed of the body the night before. It would have only taken the flick of his fingers and a breath to be rid of it. Whatever happened afterwards would be his fault for not thinking ahead properly. Taking a breath he calmed, whirling through scenario after scenario in his mind.

"…I have a plan." He spoke finally, flicking his eyes up to meet his cousin's as a smirk crept across his lips.

The sky was already lightening up though the sun was heavily obscured by the clouds, if his instincts rang true- which of course they _would_- than the rising of the sun would soon be completed. They were an hour away from the clearing if they pushed it and no doubt a search party was in route.

Despite how blithe he may have seemed to be, Shisui was one of the few people who _could _keep up with Itachi's thinking. "Of course you do." Shisui bid, nodding his head. "Well, go on." He beckoned to hear the rest with the tilt of his head.

"It's simple, you take care of the body, and I'll deal with them." For once, Orochimaru's presence was going to be an asset rather than a hindrance. He was determined to make at least that a reality.

"What that's it?" Shisui asked, confusion showing plainly. He'd certain expected something much more…labyrinthine.

"Now Shisui…don't you know?" The sharp smile that Itachi sent him would have been unnerving if he were anyone else. "Sometimes the simplest plans are the most dangerous. Hurry along now." There was not much time to spare for petty words if they were going to pull through, and failure was not an option as far as he was concerned. Turning abruptly on his heel Itachi darted away, leaving his cousin to puzzle over the cryptic words.

Itachi managed to intercept the search party thirty minutes before they would have inevitably hit where Shisui would be disposing of the body. To his surprise his father was among them. For him to be out on something as simple as a checkup was out of the ordinary. "Father."

"Itachi." Fugaku greeted lips pressed into a firm, straight line. "You…are a bit late."

Irritation gnawed at him at the ever present criticism that colored his father's voice. "Something urgent came up." Itachi explained, eyes slanting ever so slightly. "Which I'm sure you're well aware of due to your presence." He remarked.

His father would not have come looking for him for something as small as being a few hours past due. That sort of blatant worry on his part would be viewed as a weakness in himself. Suspicious activity on the border was another story entirely.

The impassive look on Fugaku's face shifted as his frown became deeper set. "What do you know?" Not even three hours ago, he'd received a message via bird about some strange movements on the boundary of their lands coming from the side that belonged to a human named Ryōshu.

"I know who, not necessarily why." Came the response as the purple cloth was tossed carelessly to the ground. The embroidered eight headed snake stared back at them mockingly, tongues extended.

The quite murmurs of the three men accompanying his father rose up as their forms tensed further.

"Not far in the direction you were traveling there is a small village that was razed to the ground early last night…the perpetrators were gone by the time I arrived." Itachi explained.

"It's nearly all grasslands, hardly anything worth the effort there." Uchiha Yashiro spoke, glancing at the boy who would become their future leader. The whole reason they themselves hadn't taken any interest in the lands adjacent to their own was because it was hardly worth the effort. It was mainly comprised of grasslands and rice fields of which they had plenty of already.

"Orochimaru's interests have never truly lain with governing." Itachi scoffed. Oh yes, the snake wanted power and ruling over the cowering masses would surely thrill him, but he'd toss it all the way in pursuit of his one goal. His true desire lay with something far more elusive.

It was well known that the snake had an obsession with the concept of immortality. 'A wholly foolish and pathetic endeavor.' Itachi thought, eyes narrowing. While Orochimaru's endeavors were blatantly clear what they had to do with the Uchiha remained to be seen.

There was no proof that such a thing as true immortality even existed not even for the gods. The lore of the Uchiha were a prime example of this. If legend were to be believed, the eyes they held were once possessed by a god that had been slayed by a forefather eons ago.

In that vein, despite their longevity even mononoke succumbed to death inevitably, Eternal life was something neither they nor humans could ever truly obtain. True, particularly strong mononoke could last for ages, sometimes for what felt like eons through the most extreme circumstances, but sooner or later everything ended in some way or another.

Even the great Madara, rotting away in the tomb he'd been sealed in ages ago would eventually succumb and die. 'If he hasn't already withered into nothing…' Itachi thought in passing, feeling neither pity nor camaraderie for the fallen man. He had never met the mononoke but the stories of his cold, calculating bloodlust against humans made his father's apathy for them seem like doting puppy love by comparison.

It was little wonder why the Senju and Uchiha had such bad blood running between them. Much of it could be traced to the days of Hashirama and Madara's rivalry.

"You are supposing whatever he's up to has to do with us?" He may not have had Itachi's intellect, but Fugaku was not a complete an idiot and was perfectly capable of picking up on insinuations.

"Aa." Came the response just as a slightly soggy Shisui came into view.

"Where were you up too?" Inabi asked brows arched.

"Oh…you know, just putting out a fire." Shisui stated not even flinching at the lie. 'More like setting one...' He'd taken a roll in the snow to dampen any unsavory smells that might have come with burning a body. By now, it would be nothing but ashes.

"Hnn." Fugaku figured he wouldn't even bother trying to make sense of the boy's state. Shisui had always been a little odd in his opinion, and his behavior at the moment was rather tame. "There was nothing else of interest in the area?"

"Nothing, and if there was, its long gone now." Itachi stated, already feeling the monotony of the conversation setting in. The village was nothing but ash and rubble by now, littered with bodies that would be picked clean by the local wildlife if they hadn't been burned up enough.

The impassive line of his lips shifted into a frown as he thought of Sakura and the fact that her parents would not receive proper burial rights.

"I see…we'll return home now then. Tekka, convene all the representatives." Fugaku demanded turning on his heel without waiting for a response from the assigned messenger. He had faith that as an upper council member he could follow simple orders. For now he had much to think about, it would at least take a few days for everyone to arrive. That left him with plenty of time to get his own thoughts in order.

Biting back a sigh, Itachi fought to feel some small shard of appreciation that he wouldn't be spending hours sitting on his knees listening to people whine and fight over every little detail for at least another day or two. 'Small blessings.' He reminded himself, glancing at Shisui who looked about as thrilled as Itachi felt- not to mention cold. Sending the older boy a covert look of gratitude, he made a note to thank Shisui later on.

The trek home was uneventful and he was relieved when the group split. His father headed to do a quick survey of the grounds to make sure all security was in top shape. It was a habit he'd developed long ago, in which as soon as he returned to the shirohe'd do a walkabout to make sure everything was as it should be. The other three that had accompanied them shifted off to do their own delegated duties leaving Shisui and himself free for the remainder of the day.

"No new training regimens, no orders, no clan duties for a whole day?" Shisui asked in awe. His eyes were nearly shining. "Oh sweet!" The situation turned out better than expected in his humble opinion.

Itachi didn't bother hiding the way his eyes rolled. "Aren't you troubled? Orochimaru did quite a number on you the last time you met." One would think Shisui would be more concerned with the recent events.

Shisui shrugged. "What can I do about it?" He asked smiling. "Besides, I'm not the same as I was then." There was a sharp edge to his voice even as he continued smiling; anyone who didn't know him would see nothing beyond it. Itachi was not one of those people; he could see the danger that lurked there as surely as it did within any fire.

"No, you're not." Itachi agreed as a small, reedy smile crossing his lips. Orochimaru would be undoubtedly unwise if he tried the same trick twice, and he would not tolerate a second attempt. On the other hand it would be foolish if he himself mounted an attack against the snake without fully understanding the intricacies. For now he would simply bide his time, and wait to unravel the threads.

"Oh! You've arrived home." His mother's voice broke the companionable silence cheerily. "I was worried." Mikoto stated, her darkly colored eyes perusing their forms. Since late last night she'd had a peculiar feeling plaguing her. The same feeling she always got when something particularly important was happening. Especially when it involved one of her kits.

Like the ghost of something at the edge of her subconscious, the feeling had murmured through her head the whole evening and early morning.

"Something came up." Itachi explained, stepping off to the side just in time to avoid being pounced on by a rather exuberant little brother.

Hissing Sasuke rolled over and sat up, arms crisscrossing over his chest. "How did you know?" He asked, eyes narrowing. He really thought he'd gotten him

"I could hear you." Itachi stated, hiding his amusement. If Sasuke saw it he'd only become more frustrated. "Besides, it was suspicious for you not to have welcomed us back with mother." He explained patiently, watching the boy pick himself off the floor.

"Hnn." Sasuke sighed and rocked back on his heels, disappointment on full display. "Welcome back Aniki." He greeted, looking up at his brother. "Next time take me with you!" he pleaded, tugging furtively on his brother's haori. 'It's not fair that Shisui gets to go and I don't!' At that thought he sent a glare towards the older boy, scowling even further when Shisui responded by sticking his tongue out and pulling his lower eye lid down.

'Idiot.' Sasuke thought, regretting that he hadn't kicked both the boy's shins before he'd left. One apparently wasn't enough.

"We'll see." Itachi replied, ruffling Sasuke's hair. "First you have to perfect your appearance." He reminded the boy, tugging on his furry ear teasingly. "Rules are rules. No leaving the compound till then." It could be dangerous if one as young as Sasuke got separated and ended up coming across hostile humans.

Pouting Sasuke turned his head away. "It's hard keeping it up for long periods of time." He complained. It wasn't as if he couldn't do it at all, it was just difficult over long periods of time. Itachi never seemed to have any troubled with it though.

"You will manage soon enough." Itachi murmured encouragingly. There was no need for Sasuke to rush things. No matter what anyone else made him feel he was fine just the way that he was.

"Exactly what came up?" Mikoto asked after a long period of silence. She had spent the time thinking of the implications of his statement. She had heard whispers that something out of the ordinary had been going on near what was known as _Ta no Kuni. _When she'd gone to find her husband she'd found that he had already left, dismissing what group she'd been intending to check on Itachi and taking their place with men of his own choosing.

Already feeling bored of the conversation Sasuke heaved a sigh, wondering why whatever was happening in a place named after rice was so important. Smiling mischievously, he sidled up to his brothers side, and threw his arms around his waist in a hug.

"A certain snake seems to be slithering through the rice that's all," Shisui explained, waving his hand dismissively. "No big deal."

Glancing down at his little brother, Itachi tsked quietly. "To obvious Sasuke." He chided taking back the Kunai the boy had attempted to filch The foot stomping that followed amused him greatly, though only a fraction of it showed through his veiled eyes.

The frown that marred Mikoto's face seemed to disagree. "…Be more careful going out from now on." She stated simply knowing she would wring more information on the subject out later, for now however she had other matters to attend to. With that thought she turned to Sasuke. "I believe you and I were going to go practice reading and writing." She beckoned him to follow her. "Let's leave Itachi and Shisui to rest for a while."

Wrinkling his nose in displeasure, Sasuke almost thought twice about disagreeing with her, even if writing lessons were his least favorite. In the end though, his mouth ran ahead of his thoughts, and he blurted out; "Can't Itachi teach me instead?" He really couldn't be blamed though, somehow Itachi always made even the worst of lessons fun.

Watching the way his mother's hands inched towards her hips told him he was pushing his luck. "Sasuke…" She began eyes narrowing.

Looking up at his older brother imploringly, he hoped Itachi would take his side. When he was beckoned closer he leaned forward expectantly, eyes gleaming brightly.

"Next time." His middle and pointer finger struck Sasuke's forehead teasingly. 'You always fall for it Sasuke...' Itachi thought, the tiny smile that came to his face disappearing as quickly as it came. "Concentrate well. I'll test you later." He vowed, shooing him toward the woman waiting patiently on her young child.

"Unfair." Sasuke mumbled under his breath as he trailed after his mother's long hem. The cheery white birds dotted along its hem seemed to mock him and the situation he always found himself in at this time of day. Writing and even reading was nothing he considered special. It was more of human sport then a skill a great mononoke would ever need. Not only that but it was such a feminine task.

"You should be happy that you have the opportunity to learn." Mikoto chided. "Not everyone does."

Itachi thought briefly of Sakura.

"It feels more like a punishment." Sasuke mumbled discreetly but not at all quiet enough to go unheard.

"Well in that case lets tack on another hour for breaking the vase in the parlor and convincing Itachi to help you cover it up." Mikoto stated quite happily as she spared a sly look towards her eldest child that reminded him once more that hiding things from his mother was a most worthy challenge.

"But that was last week!" The young boy cried in frustration.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do something this week to deserve it." Shisui said cheekily, not at all bothered by the glare Sasuke sent him.

There was a one sided rivalry between the two with Itachi in the middle. Sasuke felt that as Itachi's blood brother he should be the one to spend the most time with him yet Shisui was near always at hand. Shisui for his part took great pleasure in antagonizing the boy, almost as much as he enjoyed getting a rise out of Itachi, but then Sasuke was by far an easier target and therefore not so challenging.

Deciding to intervene before things became particularly troubling Itachi made his own viewpoint known. "Sasuke, physical prowess is only one half of the battle. reading and writing strengthen the mind. You mustn't neglect your training. Even I took lessons from mother..." That seemed to be all the encouragement his little brother needed because he quickly scurried towards the library followed at a much slower pace by a grateful Mikoto.

* * *

Studying the woven pattern of the tatami mat she was sitting on Sakura idly traced the weave of it before laying back, arm tucked underneath her head. The heavy sigh that lingered on her lips was not lost on the other two occupants of the room.

That melancholic sound was never far from Sakura these days, and Tonton responded by snuffling her wet pink snout against the girls cheek affectionately as she uttered a soft "Buuhi..."

It didn't take a person with eagle vision to see the child's discontent when the feeling rolled off her in waves.

Pausing in the intricate stitching of a red and gold peony, Shizune looked on worriedly. They were going in the third week of her arrival to them and although Sakura's disposition had progressed to the point where she no longer simply laid in bed, her withdrawn behavior persisted.

Sometimes she looked as though she would break down crying but then as if through sheer force of will, the look was shut away and an empty, almost vacant one took its place. More than anything she wished Sakura would just go ahead and cry it out of her system.

Shizune picked at the while cloth draped over her lap nervously as her lips thinned in thought. From experience she knew eventually Sakura would work her way out of the depression she was in, but waiting through it was such a trial. 'I guess I should feel a little relieved.' She admitted to herself.

Glancing at Tsunade from across the room as the older woman tossed cypress nuts into a bowl, Shizune thought back to the dark period that followed her uncle's death.

Those were the days before Orochimaru had gone off the deep end, the days when there was still some tender part of him that cared for his childhood companions. Together all of them had managed to temper that sharp grief and pick up the shambles that had been left behind in the woman who'd continually lost one important person after another in her life.

That unity did not last long, because when Tsunade finally seemed to crawl out of the hole she'd herself in, the underhanded deeds Orochimaru was dealing in came to light shocking everyone. With her resilience once more put to the test, Tsunade rose to the challenge better than expected given the events and even when the group split ways she carried herself with a stoutness that belied her aching heart.

For a while they traveled far and wide, filling the days with drinking, gambling and fighting but the restlessness that plagued the blonde woman never seemed to relent, as though she was searching for something that did not exist, and then all at once it was as if a weariness came over her and the traveling became more of a chore than anything.

Eventually they came to settle in the last of the lands still held under the name of Senju, the only piece of the vast territory her grandfather had collected in his days that was still left whole. It was relatively small territory, but given that it was under the protection Tsunade there were very few who would attempt a takeover and those that did were quickly put to rest.

'Aah…Sometimes it's hard to believe how fickle time can be.' Shizune sighed as she riffled through the vast collection of colored threads lined up in front of her. Sometimes it felt as though the passing of time was unbearably slow, and at others it felt as if it was going by her in the blink of an eye.

Listening as the grinding of the pestle against the mortar conjured up a rhythm to fill the silence. Sakura leaned her head against Tonton's tiredly lulled by the quiet din. The heaviness that seemed to plague her day and night only to be alleviated by blissful but elusive sleep seemed to fade away as she counted the rotations of the pestle as it clinked against the bottom of the mortar.

As much as she would like it, sleep was far off for now even as she longed for the lull that it brought. Falling asleep without the bitter drink she was given each night after dinner would only bring her nightmares. The fear of what would come without it kept her from closing her eyes for any longer than a few seconds.

It was a losing battle, because she was already drifting in and out of lucidity. At some point despite her best efforts she eventually slipped of the edge she'd been skirting and into slumber. The tense set of her muscles loosening as she fell deeper into sleep.

Pausing in her ministrations, Tsunade smiled upon noticing the small even breathes. "Looks like she fell asleep without any help." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a relief not having to give out any medicine for the girl to get some sleep. Never the less she wasn't above handing it out if necessary, after all some sleep was better than none at all.

"Should we leave her?" Shizune wondered, frowning visibly. "Don't you think she'll have another nightmare?" that was the whole reason they'd been giving her a sleeping drought to begin with. The poor thing could hardly get a few moments sleep unplagued by whatever terrors haunted her.

Shaking her head Tsunade turned back to the cypress nuts she'd been steadily reducing into a powder. "No, it's best to leave her for a while." Even if it was just a little bit of sleep caught without the aid of any outside influence, it would do her a world of good. Depending too much on a substance to give one some much needed rest was never a good idea.

The dark circles ringing Sakura's eyes were proof enough of that as it was. Even if the unaided sleep brought her nightmares, it was a risk Tsunade was willing to take. Setting her equipment to the side, Tsunade carefully measured out the mixture she'd been working onto the small square pieces of paper in front of her.

"I'm surprised Itachi hasn't come around yet." Shizune remarked, thinking on just how many days had passed so far. "You think they arrived home safely?"

"Something probably came up." Tsunade responded folding the papers up into small triangular parcels. "You worry too much Shizune, after all if something had happened to the prized Uchiha heir, we'd hear about it even from here." She pointed out, sealing the envelopes shut with a clear sticky sap.

Nodding Shizune continued, "That's true…I suppose I just expected him to come check on her sooner." He had said it himself, and Itachi wasn't one to make vows easily.

"Well, you know how Uchiha can be." Tsunade stated dryly, eyes rolling. "Always scheming something and what not." Weasels just couldn't help themselves. It was after all, engrained into their very nature to be cunning.

Some humans would consider a weasel, whether of the mononoke variety, or not to be something that brought ill luck to those who treaded upon it, and there was very good cause for them to have earned that part of their reputation. They were bold, aggressive, tenacious, clever and confident in their prowess which led to them becoming one of the top ruling clans within the vast lands of Hi no Kuni.

On the other hand, while some might say that their arrogance was well deserved, the same traits that made them so formidable were also the same qualities that caused them so much trouble. The best and brightest of them were always at the very least five steps ahead of everyone else, making plans and setting traps for some poor sap to get stuck in.

Unfortunately for them sometimes they got caught up in their own schemes and sometimes they snapped their own traps on themselves along with their prey. 'Like Madara.' She thought, feeling the sharp sting of irony. In her opinion, he was currently suffering a fate worse than death at the moment.

In any case the tendencies that Uchiha had for turning the simplest of things into power plays made keeping up with them positively exhausting. "Always up to something…" Tsunade finished at last. "Anyways, he's probably fine."

"Isn't it a little strange?" Shizune wondered glancing up from her sewing. "To get on so well with an Uchiha?" the question had been plaguing her for a while now.

"Because of _that _incident?" Tsunade asked, gathering up the small packages and rising to her feet.

"While it's true that the Senju and Uchiha haven't always gotten along, there was a time when we were quite close and ruled these lands conjointly." Tsunade paused, stepping over the sleeping Sakura carefully as she made her way towards the large multiple drawered chest across the room.

The whole room was lined with them, top to bottom with each drawer filled with some odd plant or article After finding the one with the appropriate label she pulled it open and filled the compartment. "That of course was before Madara got greedy and decided he and his family were above us…" A snort followed her statement. Considering he was spending the rest of his days locked away like a naughty child in time out, it seemed like he wasn't all that above anyone these days.

"But then, you already knew all that." Tsunade remarked with amusement as she glanced at her longtime companion. "You grew up in the same village as me when you were a kid. It's part of the local lore."

"Of course…" Everyone in Hi no Kuni knew at least in passing about the great battle between Hashirama and Madara. It had been a battle so brutal it had changed the very landscapes of the surrounding area.

Humans these days thought it to be nothing more than legend with every passing day, but for those who were born and bred within Konohagakure it was an undisputable fact. They lived on the very land the battle took place and the scars it had left behind were clearly visible.

"Anyways, there's no point in holding something some related to him did a long time ago. He's got just as much of a reason to hate me as I do him- yet he doesn't." Tsunade pointed out with a sigh. "The fact of the matter is that kid is his own person and even though he's got all his family's annoying characteristics, he's also got something the vast lot of them have forgotten."

The note of fondness that colored her voice could not be ignored as she stole a glance towards Sakura. The Uchiha weren't well known for being compassionate for others outside their own clan and a few other select individuals they sometimes grew fond of. "No doubt he'll show up soon. That kid has a habit of popping up not long after someone says his name." After all it was said that names held a power all their own and it often seemed as though Itachi was a walking example of it.

Giggling to herself, Shizune eyed Tsunade teasingly. "Tsunade-sama...If you aren't careful I might actually start thinking you like that, in your own words; _Annoying _Uchiha."

Snorting, Tsunade waved her hand at the thought. "He's tolerable." She said with a smirk. "Not that I'll ever say that to his face though…Kid's already got a big enough ego with his clan kowtowing all over the place."

"It's hard to believe that he's only ten sometimes." Shizune sighed, pressing a hand to her cheek thoughtfully as she brought herself to her feet. For one thing, his voice was incredibly deep for just a kid and altogether rather serious. The most she ever saw him play was when he was roped into some scheme of Shisui's. That wasn't to say he was without humor however. He was actually quite witty, but it was with a sort of intellect that surpassed his age.

"Hmm…" Tsunade conquered without words, slipping her legs beneath the thick covers of the low wooden table. There was a chill in the air, and she looked over Sakura worriedly, wondering how it was she wasn't affected by the cold. 'Must be Tonton.'she thought, leaning her head against the palm of her hand comfortably as she glanced up at Shizune with a smirk. "Going to start dinner?" She asked.

"Why, offering your help?" Shizune asked, arching a brow. Tsunade may have been good at mixing lifesaving medicines and what not, but her cooking skills left a lot to be desired, which was the sole reason any culinary excursions were left in her own capable hands.

"Nope," Tsunade snorted. "Not a chance. See if you can't make something sweet though." She offered, nodding her head towards Sakura. "She'll probably enjoy it."

Smiling brightly, Shizune nodded her assent and swept out of the room.

"Guess it's just me and you for a little while, huh?" Tsunade hummed, patting Sakura on the head as she poured out some sake. Most people would say that they drank to forget, and maybe sometimes she did too. More than that though, she could honestly say that she drank to remember.

Every happen occasion she recalled from her childhood to young adulthood had involved the rice derived beverage. When her brother had been born, the first time she ever won a fight, the first time she bled as a young woman and her whole family had thrown a rather embarrassing party over it. The taste of sake had been on her tongue the first time she'd realized she was in love, and the first time she'd been kissed.

It was also what she'd been drinking when she was proposed to, for her it was a drink of good luck and homage to the past. Flopping on her back she finished the last remnants of her drink and stared up at the painted pattern that circled the outside of it. The dark green ivy leaves beamed back at her cheerily, symbols of fidelity and eternity.

It was nearly knocked out of her hand when Sakura rolled into her, virulent cries seeping from her lips. Setting the dish down quickly Tsunade turned to face Sakura, her own eyes all too somber. "Another nightmare?" She asked to herself not at all surprised.

Tonton upon being woken up had quickly vacated the area to prevent any situation in which she might be hit or kicked from the girls violent movements.

Leaning on her elbow Tsunade brushed away the pink fringe plastered against Sakura's forehead. "Sakura!" She called gently, patting her cheek to coax her out of the nightmare. The fearful face that her eyes took in had her heart clenching pitifully. There was something to be said about a battle hardened woman like herself being so easily affected by a little girl.

In her long life she'd seen many orphan's and while a part of her ached each time she saw them, and did what she could to alleviate their burdens and ails when she came across them she had never before taken one into her home before Sakura. For her getting attached meant opening herself up to being hurt and so she often kept others at a distance.

But when she saw Sakura's pretty green eyes and heard her soft, poignant little voice it was as if a cord inside her had been stricken and the note it had let loose could never be unsung. So she would keep the girl here and care for her as if she were her own.

Whether startled out of her sleep by her voice or the wraith within her mind, Sakura shrieked throwing her hands into the air and over her face defensively, body bunching into a tight coil. Her heart pounded, struggling to slow even as her breath did not. 'Why can't it just stop?!' She thought desolately, fighting back the sting that afflicted her eyes.

She wanted to be a good girl and not cause any trouble for Tsunade after she had been kind enough to take her in. Not only that but both the blonde woman and Shizune had been exceptionally nice to her since the moment she woke up completely confused and panicked about her surroundings. "Sorry!" She apologized shakily, still hiding behind her hands to prevent any tears from escaping.

It would be ungrateful of her if she stated crying helplessly, and she wanted to be strong and brave like she knew her parents would have wanted her to be, but it was so hard sometimes when all she wanted to do was lie down and sob.

To be perfectly honest, she was scared and didn't know what to do with herself and with every passing day the feeling of being hopelessly lost only grew stronger. It was like she was still wandering through the forest with no way out and the mere thought of the feeling never going away was enough to break her resolve and send her into a fit of tears.

Knowing that she was being an annoying crybaby but being unable to help herself Sakura apologized again. "S-sorry! For being a burden, I really am!" She repeated helplessly, scrubbing at her eyes.

The feeling of being the reason her parents had always struggled to get by and the feeling that she was the reason they weren't with her now overwhelmed her. If she had just gotten up earlier, if she had been older, or stronger or even if she hadn't been there at all things would be different right now.

That miserable guilt washed over her and in the end she turned into a complete blubbering mess, sobbing and burying her face into the straw mat underneath of her until she was lifted off of it and pulled into Tsunade's arms.

"It's okay." The blonde woman cooed, rubbing circles over Sakura's back as she pulled a small square cloth from her obi and began patting the girls face with it. "There's nothing wrong with crying, it's hard trying to her through everything on you own, so depend on Shizune and I more." She fussed, mopping up the tears. '

"Buu!" Tonton chimed, butting her head against her master's thigh.

"And Tonton too." Tsunade amended, studying the girls solemn face. 'hmm…' Faking a shiver wasn't hard to do at all. "I'm cold!" She declared suddenly, cuddling Sakura close as she flopped back onto the floor once more. "So keep me warm." She ordered, still snickering at the startled gasp Sakura had emitted when the fell onto the floor.

With her head pressed against the older woman's ample chest, Sakura nodded shakily, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"You know what might make you feel better?" Tsunade asked, running a hand through her own hair thoughtfully. At the small questioning look she received from Sakura she continued speaking "Why don't you tell me about your parents, okay?"

The tentative look she received in turn prompted her to become more coaxing.

"I had a little brother you know… his name was Nawaki. He liked to eat mackerel sashimi, which by the way I hate." The exasperated sigh she gave after speaking was undercut by the fond smile she found herself making as she remembered the many nights they spent arguing over what to have for dinner. "He was a great kid…He always dreamed of uniting Hi no Kuni under one ruler." Her eyes turned a darker shade at the thought.

It had been a silly dream to begin with in her opinion, and it had gotten both her brother and Dan killed.

"…Mom liked to eat Katsudon " Sakura whispered quietly, head ear pressed to Tunade's collar bone.

"and what about dad?" She was grateful she was finally opening up even just a little bit. Besides whatever was necessary to be polite she had been exceptionally quiet, withdrawn even.

"He likes Kushiyaki." Sakura said fondly, the memory brightening her eyes.

"And you? What do you like to eat?"

"Uhm..I like Umeboshi…and Anmitsu, and dango…sweet things! But I don't like things that are spicy." Sakura explained, her nose scrunched as she shook her head.

"I see, I see." Tsunade laughed. "And your eyes? Who did you get those from? They are very pretty."

"Mama…She's really pretty too…" Sakura chattered, lifting her head to study the woman she was laying on. "Like you." She said, tentatively touching strands of wheat colored hair. "her hair is like this too, darker though. I wish mine were that color." She admitted, tugging on her own strands of dusky pink.

"I think your hair is very pretty…did you get it from your dad?"

" Uh-uh…it's red." Sakura corrected and then shyly, glanced up through her thick lashes. "…and thank you." Everyone else thought her hair was weird.

"Red like a Tori gate or red like an apple?" Tsunade wondered, cupping her chin as she leaned her head back thoughtfully.

"It was more like mulberries." Sakura said, posing a third much more appropriate option as she compared the colors in her mind. All at once the realization that it _was _that shade of red but wasn't any longer hit her and just like that the happy feeling of normalcy was swept away from her.

Seeing the change in her demeanor, Tsunade sighed. "You know the best way to honor those who have passed on is to remember them and keep them in your heart. Your life isn't just your own anymore…you have to live on and be happy for their sake now too." She spoke, placing a hand over the spot that Sakura's heart rested. "If you do that, then they'll always be with you."

It had taken her years to understand that herself, and she hoped that Sakura would learn the lesson faster than she ever did.

"Y-you think so?" Sakura whispered tentatively laying her hand over Tsunade's,

"Know so," Tsunade promised with a confident smile. "So tell me more about them okay?

When Shizune returned a few hours later she was greeted with the rather unexpected site of Sakura and Tsunade laying across from one another, their voices filling up the large room and warming it. Puzzled, she couldn't help but stare at the start contrast to what it'd been before.

A little startled by the sudden change she hung back for a moment, wondering just what had occurred while she'd been gone.

"Shizune, dinner ready yet?" Tsunade inquired, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk. Pride shined in her eyes. 'When you're good, you're good.' She congratulated herself on a job well done mentally.

"A-ah, yea…" Shizune nodded. "It's pretty cold out so I made oden, and some mantao…It's in the other room, should I bring it here?"

"No, we'll move." Tsunade stood, helping Sakura to her feet before sweeping out of the room.

Pausing before she passed the older willowy woman, Sakura glanced up shyly, and bowed her head. "Uhm...thank you for taking such good care of me Shizune-san." She fidgeted nervously, wringing her hands.

"You're welcome!" Shizune stated quickly, trying to hide her astonishment. If it hadn't been for the quiet thank you's she'd received prior she would have thought the girl was mute. "Also, please don't bother with addressing me like that…its fine to just call me Shizune, okay?" She asked bending closer as she held out her hand to take Sakura's. "Are you hungry? The mantao are really sweet. I put honey on them and if we don't hurry they'll get cold, and won't be as good!" She realized that she was babbling but didn't care in the least when she saw the girl's smile.

"Okay!" Sakura agreed nodding her head quickly as she placed her hand in Shizune's. "…Is it okay if I call you Nee-chan instead? I always wanted an older sister." She murmured glancing at the floor. If she were going to be here with them for a long time, she decided it was best to get comfortable and accept things as they were.

There was no going back to yesterday and she would have to accept things as they were from here on out.

"I'd like that a lot!" Shizune stated beaming brightly.

When they arrived Tsunade was already seated filling a sakazuki full of Sake. 'Guess I have another good memory to tally up.' She thought smiling against the rim of her glass as Shizune and Sakura took their seats at the table, fitting their legs underneath the thick quilt that surrounded the table.

It was a relief for everyone that things were finally settling down.

The first thing Sakura ate that she actually bothered to taste the whole time she'd stayed with them was the steamed bun and it melted in her mouth, the heat of it rising off into puffs of steam in the chilly air. The honey that coated it clung to her tongue and lingered long after it was gone.

She hoped that just like the taste of it, the content that she felt at that moment would remain with her for days to come. Even if she couldn't have her parents with her, she hoped that they would look on at her with pride from today on.

* * *

ヽ(゜∇ ゜)ノ Guys, I want to hug you all so so sooo much.

Unfortunately the internet hasn't progressed that far yet, and I'm pretty sure the vast majority of you wouldn't want to be hugged by some random chick who happens to have the flu anyways, so just imagine my feels for you constricting you like an anaconda and you'll know how much I care and appreciate all the responses I've gotten.

New goodies to be added to my live journal page soon. Seriously, go there; make an account and friend me. You do want to be my friend don't you?...

…Of course you do.

Because, it would totally send me into a spiraling depression if you didn't.

Gasp! I might even be uploading a map of all the places we've seen and will see!

Exciting, ne? So quickly come join me!

Personally speaking, my favorite part this chapter was the Tsunade/Sakura/Shizune/TonTon bonding. It always drives me crazy how little we get to see these guys to interacting both in the manga and within stories. They have an important bond and it deserves to be shown, so I did just that.

My least favorite part was talking about clan politics. It was very difficult since we know so little about how the Uchiha actually did function and there really isn't a hand guide out there on how "Clans" are run…but given that their basically an army ruling what I would consider a "country" in this incarnation I imagine they run similar to that…

What was your favorite part?

Now, for a closing note I'd like to once more say thank you to everyone who's contributing to my goal! It warms my heart that you're all so very supportive. So please, keep telling me what you think, what you like, what you didn't like and everything else. Everyone's opinion is important to me.

That's what's so great about this site you know? You can get instant feedback from your peers. Its very helpful.

On a final note…did you see all the symbolism this chapter? I'll give you a clue…most of it had to do with plants. See if you can guess all of it.

Oden: A traditional winter stew in japan  
Kotatsu: Low traditional table in japan that in the winter have a quilt placed under the top panel to keep ones legs warm. In old homes they had a charcoal pit dug underneath with a grate on top. Now they run on electricity usually.  
Sakazuki: Cylindrical saucers used for Sake.


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